Everything is getting resultsStuart Hindson | First Published: March 2008

This is traditionally a great month to wet a line around Narooma with all forms of angling getting results. With a lot of the peak holiday crowd going home, expect the fishing action to really hot up over coming weeks.

Wagonga Inlet has been a little slow lately but that will soon change. With the decrease in boat traffic and angling pressure plus more stable weather patterns, this place is about to fire.

All species will be chewing with bream, whiting, flathead and mulloway the main targets. Flathead will respond well with soft plastics up to 80mm fished around the weed edges getting the desired results.

Fishing the main basin is the go but expect a few fish on the flats and in the main channel. Smaller live poddy mullet and fresh prawns will also work; you can get all the poddies you need from the sand flats near the Fisheries office.

Whiting numbers have been good with some models topping 45cm. Most of these fish have come from the channel on the run-out tide with live nippers and squirt worms the gun baits.

The channel on the eastern side of the bridge has been more consistent, with bag limits reached inside a few hours on some occasions. Expect a few yellowfin bream and trevally while fishing for the whiting.

Anglers targeting the elusive mulloway have had mixed fortunes. Most caught lately have taken live tailor and fresh squid. We managed a couple of nice jew on the last full moon that went 10kg and 6.5kg, not huge fish but still great fun on lighter tackle.

These fish ate unweighted squid strips and were caught on the tide change after dark.

When targeting these bronzed brutes patience is a key ingredient for success. Don’t expect to get a fish every outing but you will be rewarded if you put in the time.

The action up at Tuross has also been good. This place amazes me as it copes well with angling pressure. Flathead and bream numbers have been good with most methods working.

Bream have been prolific on poppers and walk-the-dog lures. We had a morning session there recently that yielded 25 bream up to a kilo, great fun and the visual aspect of it certainly gets the adrenalin running.

Expect this surface action to continue for a while yet. We have found lately that the windier it is, the better the fishing.

REEFIES, BILLFISH

Outside, the bottom bashers have been having a field day with snapper, morwong, long-finned perch and flatties caught in numbers. The bottom end of Montague Island has been the pick of the reefs with Potato Point and Brou reefs also producing.

A lot of gummy sharks have been caught by the flathead fishos with most averaging 8kg to 12kg. They’re great on the plate and a pleasant surprise to most anglers.

The Montague Island kingfish have also played the game with fish to 7kg taking live baits and jigs. The kings have been slow this season but with the water now warming, expect the action to be more consistent.

The northern end of the island is a good starting point to target the kingies and remember the new legal size of 65cm. Also check out the live bait exclusion zone at the northern end of the island.

Out wider, game anglers have had good results when the weather has allowed. The water is hovering between 22° and 26°, perfect for marlin. All three marlin species have been caught, though stripes from 70kg to 100kg are the most common.

Trolling skirted lures and switch-baiting with live slimy mackerel have been the best methods. The fish have been wide spread along the shelf although the Tuross Canyons and Kink grounds have been productive.

There have been reports of yellowfin tuna but they are small. Big tuna don’t really like hot water so wait another month or so if that’s what you want.

BEACHES ALIVE

The beaches will continue to fish well for salmon and tailor, with enough bream, whiting and mullet to keep things interesting. Live beach worms and pipis have been the standout baits, with a lot of salmon being caught of lures and blue surf poppers fished on a paternoster rig.

A few jewies are still being caught up at Tuross off the beach but you must put in a lot of time to consistently get results. The guys who put in the hard yards deserve every one they catch.

There have also been quite a few gummy sharks around. Jack Dart from Sunset Fishing Adventures recently got a 20kg fish for a client on a pilchard at Brou Beach.

Off the stones, the pelagic action will be in full swing.

It can be a lottery off the rocks with kingfish, longtail tuna, mackerel tuna, bonito, striped tuna and even the outside chance of a yellowfin. A lot will depend on prevailing currents, water temperature and bait activity as to how close the tuna will travel inshore.

Ideal places are the golf course rocks in town and the front ledge at Mystery Bay, to the south of Narooma. A live yellowtail or slimy mackerel under a bobby cork or balloon is be the best method to tangle with a tuna or kingfish but throwing chromed slice lures up to 50g could also work.

If the tuna don’t arrive, there should be enough salmon and tailor to keep you amused and your rod bent. If you’re after a feed, bream and blackfish should be available in the washes.

Reads: 965

Luke Cumming, 14, with a 5.7kg jewie from Wagonga Inlet. The fish was caught on a plastic and took two-and-a-half hours to land on 2lb Platypus Super Braid and 8lb leader – a great effort in windy conditions.

A whopping 88cm flattie from Tuross Lake. This fish was released in super condition after it ate a soft plastic.